Lot n° 37
Estimation :
2000 - 3000
EUR
Léon Herlant (1873-1968) - 1 autochrome on Lumière plate, 12 - Lot 37
Léon Herlant (1873-1968) - 1 autochrome on Lumière plate, 12 x 9 cm. Micrographic Autochrome of Urine, Léon Herlant In a move that defied the conventions of his time, avant-garde photographer and scientist Léon Herlant produced an astonishing and profoundly innovative work: a micrographic auto-photograph of his own urine, captured through the prism of autochrome. This daring gesture goes far beyond simple scientific experimentation: it is a sensory and aesthetic investigation, a fascinating journey into the biological intimacy of the human being.
Using his microscope and revolutionary autochrome technology, Herlant reveals a colorful, vibrant universe at the heart of this bodily fluid, which usually escapes ordinary visual perception. Through the microscopic crystals and organic structures that populate urine, patches of color take shape, blending yellow, orange and even more subtle shades of green and blue, creating a scene as surprising as it is abstract.
This visual exploration of urine is a veritable aesthetic revelation, offering a radical new vision of biological matter. Far from the classic clinical and scientific vision, the autochrome transforms the object of observation into a visual work worthy of abstract art. The colored dots and flowing forms, not perceptible to the naked eye, are both magnificent and surprising. They reveal an organic, intimate and colorful composition, a microscopic vibratory world reminiscent of early twentieth-century art research into the representation of pure color and light.
This work offers an open door to the exploration of invisible matter, reminding us that photography, even in its scientific role, can also be transformed into a poetic act, a visual search for the essence of life. By capturing his own urine, Léon Herlant not only documents a biological fluid, he also proposes an aesthetic reflection on the very nature of the human being, how we are composed of colors, and how elements we consider banal or ordinary can become sources of beauty when seen through the artist's lens.
This photograph is a true testament to the avant-garde spirit of the time, pushing back the boundaries of photography to open it up to sensory, experimental and abstract territories. It anticipates a vision of photography as a tool for unveiling the hidden world, not only in the natural universe, but also deep within ourselves.
Léon Herlant (1873-1968), a man who was both scientist and artist. A doctor of medicine and pharmacology, professor and chairman of the Faculty of Medicine at the Université Libre de Bruxelles from 1930 onwards, Herlant was a perfect example of the spirit of his time: curious, methodical and sensitive to the beauty of the world.
In addition to his scientific work - including a book co-written with G. Billen in 1896, Micrographie des poudres officinales - Léon Herlant was a passionate Autochrome photographer. His photographs reveal an intimate view of nature and everyday objects.
His works include superb snow-covered landscapes, tormented studies of trees, and still lifes of great finesse, where colors burst forth in delicate light.
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